


Halt's Blessing

by Magical_Persona



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 14:37:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18606532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magical_Persona/pseuds/Magical_Persona
Summary: Horace was injured in their most recent encounter with a group of cowardly raiders. While Will is his ever optimistic beacon of hope. When Halt catches the two smitten former apprentices what will he say?





	Halt's Blessing

Horace was lying motionless on a small bed Malcolm had made. The knight's wounds were mostly healed, but they wouldn't know the full extent of the damage until Horace awoke. It had been three days since their run in with the raiders. To say Will was worried was an understatement. The young Ranger hadn't left Horace's bedside for more than a few minutes.

Will's head was hung almost to the point of falling in his lap. Anyone could have seen that he was exhausted, but his eas were alert. Even in his sleep, the years of training were with him. It was the only reason he heard Horace's nervous voice.

“Will?”

The Ranger's head snapped up. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, but they held a new light of hope.

“Will?” Horace asked again. His voice shook as he reached out, grabbing at the air.

Will took Horace's hand. The Ranger had a suspicion that Malcolm might have be right about Horace's condition. 

“What time is it?” Horace asked, using his free hand to rub at his eyes.

“A little past noon,” Will replied after a moment of thought.

“Can you open the curtains?” Horace's voice was quiet. A small inkling that something might be wrong wormed its way into his thoughts. Something about this didn't seem right. He didn't know where he was. He couldn't see anything. Surely, if there was something there Horace would see it, even with the curtains drawn.

“They are open,” Will's voice was gentle, consoling.

For a moment Horace showed no signs he understood what Will had said. Then his eyes widened, darting side-to-side. The knight's breath coming in ragged gasps. This was unfamiliar territory for Will. Horace had always been a steadying force in his life. Now the knight looked like a frightened animal.

“Will,” Horace sounded nervous, maybe even scared. “That is you. Right?”

“It is,” Will replied. “I'm right here.”

“Why can't I see?” Horace asked. The real question both of them were afraid to have an answer to hung in the air.

Will scratched the back of his head with his free hand. “It's a side effect of the poison. Malcolm managed to get it out of your system, but-” Will paused not wanting to continue. “He said there might be some lasting side effects.”

“I'm blind,” it wasn't a question. The words were spoken with such a deep sadness Will's heart ached.

Will wanted to tell Horace everything would be okay, but he hesitated. The Ranger looked at Horace's sword leaning against the wall. Fighting was where Horace's talents lie. The man used a sword like it was an extension of himself.

“Is it permanent?” There was no hope left in the warrior's voice. He sounded defeated. Judging by the way his shoulders sagged and the larger man seemed so small, it was safe to say he felt defeated.

“We don't know for certain,” Will rushed to reassure the man. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either.

Horace swallowed the lump in his throat. “I can't protect you anymore. Not like this.” He gestured uselessly with his free hand.

Will clambered onto the bed, sitting in front of Horace. The Ranger grabbed the back of Horace's head, fingers laced in the knight's thick brown hair. Will pressed their foreheads together. 

“I'll let you in on a secret, but you can't tell anyone.” His tone held a twinkle of amusement. "I fell in love with you because of who you are, not what you can do. I love you because you've been there for me. I love you because you have the softest, kindest heart. I love you because you're wonderful. I love you because no matter what, you always have my back." Will paused for a moment. "I love you, Horace. And this," he gently ran his thumb along Horace's cheek. "This isn't going to change that. I'll be here, no matter what."

Now that Will was sufficiently red-faced he tilted his chin and placed a soft kiss on Horace's lips. What was a little more embarrassment at this point?

"I love you too," Horace whispered against Will's lips before pulling the smaller man into a tight embrace. Horace could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, but he refused to cry. Not right now, anyway. Will was a sweetheart. There were a thousand reasons Horace had fallen for his former rival, but that had been the kicker.

The two young men stayed like that, wrapped in each other's arms. They didn't speak, no more words were necessary. They only needed the presence of the other. Horace was able to give Will one last kiss before they both heard the door open.

The two jumped, Will tripping over himself as he awkwardly scrambled out of the bed. Both of them were red and looked like they had just been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. 

There, standing in the doorway was Halt. His face was shadowed by the cowl of his cloak making it impossible to see his expression.

Will looked at his feet wishing he had pulled the cowl over his head. It wouldn't have helped, Halt was too good at reading people for that, but it would have made Will feel safer. As it was Will felt exposed and completely terrified of what Halt's reaction might be.

“Halt, I--” Will stopped mid sentence.

Horace was ready to jump to Will's aid when he felt a gentle hand on his arm.

“It's good to see you awake, Horace,” Halt sounded genuine. Though, Horace wasn't sure he'd be able to tell if the Ranger was pulling his leg.

Halt was observant and a silent mover to boot. Chances were he had overheard at least the last part of their conversation. There was also a high probability Halt had heard the entire conversation. Horace wasn't sure what he could do. He wanted to protect Will. Tell the smaller man it was going to be okay, but he wasn't sure he could.

“You're not…” Will trailed off. He wasn't sure what had been expecting Halt's reaction to be. Maybe disappointment, or… “Disgusted?”

Halt was silent as he locked eyes with his former apprentice. He took in the question and debated about making Will squirm just a bit more. Halt then decided that would be cruel the young Ranger looked like he could start trembling at any moment. Halt sighed.

“Can you shoot straight?” Halt asked.

“Of course I can!” Will was offended by the sudden questioning of his ability.

"That's all I care about," Halt waved a hand dismissively. Then he turned his attention to Horace. "I'll let Malcolm know you're awake. I'm sure he'll want to look at your eyes."

With that, the grizzled old Ranger was gone leaving two dumbfounded former apprentices in his wake.


End file.
